Sam Redlark

This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on 11th December, 2022. The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site, so it is appearing here instead. This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use. ~ Would airport security be less efficient if the people passing through were treated politely? image generated by Craiyon At London Heathrow Airport, just inside the entrance to Terminal 4, there is a square grate in the concourse. It measures no more than a foot and a half in width. I know this for certain because I once brought one of my grandmother's tape measures to the airport with me. If you have ever visited that part of Heathrow, you have probably walked past the grate without even realising. It is to the right of the big WHSmiths, as you enter. When you stand in the middl...

image generated by Craiyon Crossed posted from r/ImaginaryLondon In a classroom in Harmondsworth, Laurie Rose is teaching a small group of pilots how to manage a plane that has been caught in a Mayblush Column on the approach into Heathrow Airport. The Mayblush is one of the four London winds. The other three are the Beamer, the Ragsail, and the Nersha, all of which carry with them pros and cons, though none affects aviation so much as the Mayblush that rises during the Summer, and is credited with putting the pink in the apples. The Mayblush column is not an entirely natural phenomenon. It is caused by a descending aircraft interacting with localised weather fronts. Rose describes it as “quicksand at 2000 feet”. Once caught, it is impossible for a plane to land safely at Heathrow. Pilots are instead instructed to make for “the lull” at Mitcham Mills Airport in South London – formerly an aerodrome called Greenroost – now an emergency runway, surrounded by a nature reserve, capable of a...